Basic Web Hosting Questions:

What is web hosting?

Web hosting refers to the process of publishing a web site so that
it is available to the world on the Web. Paid web hosting also involves
getting a domain name and not having forced ads displayed on your
site. Please see our Quick Start Guide for info on how to get started
with a paid web host.

Does it make a difference what type of desktop computer I use?

No. FrontPage extensions can also be done on Unix (or linux) servers.
Take a second to learn about linux VPS on the University of Michigan website.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a sequence of letters and numbers which determine
the address of your site. This site's domain name is "WebHostingRatings.com."
You need to register a domain name before your web site becomes
accessible at this address. Please see our Domain Name Guide for
all the details.

What are PHP, SQL, Java, IP, etc.?

Those acronyms refer to various features such as programming languages,
databases, etc. that might be available with a hosting plan. Please
check our web hosting features
to see which ones we support. Currently PHP is the best and most
commonly used programming language for the web.

What is shared (virtual) web hosting?

Shared (or virtual) web hosting is the most fitting way of hosting
for 99% of web sites. It means that a web hosting company will have
one or more servers (computers constantly connected to the Internet
that run a web server software such as Apache or IIS) that will
be running multiple web sites (it will be shared). Unless a web
site is exceptionally busy or requires a lot of bandwidth, this
is the least expensive way to get a real web site. You can still
have your own IP address with virtual hosting and the site won't
look any different to users. Other options are dedicated, co-location,
or doing it yourself web hosting. In those options you have the
whole computer to yourself and you can do things like install your
own software. This requires advanced knowledge in server management.

Can I keep my domain name when I change a host?

Yes. We recommend that you register your domain name with a separate
registrar before getting a hosting plan (we recommend the cheapest,
which are also the best: www.godaddy.com). Then, when you need to
move to another host, you just need to point your domain's name
servers to this new host. If you registered your domain name with
a host and now you want to move, you should find your registration
records or contact this host and ask them how to control your domain
name. If you have a problem, you can usually see the name of the
registrar by performing a "Whois" query on your domain
name and contact them.

Does it make a difference what type of desktop computer I use?

No. FrontPage extensions can also be done on Unix (or Linux) servers.

Will I have forced advertising on my site like I do on Geocities,
etc.?

I don't have any experience in creating a site. Who can help me
create and host my site?

What is domain parking?

Domain parking lets you cheaply reserve a domain name for future
use and display an "under construction" default page on
it. You can register a domain and not park it anywhere but then
your site will simply be inaccessible until you get a web host.
Some registrar let you park your domain for free. If you choose
godaddy.com for registering your domain name, they will let you
park it for free.

What is full-service web hosting?

"Full-service" can refer to a variety of services offered
in addition to providing web space, transfer, and emails for a web
site. For example, it could be 24/7 toll free phone support, web
design services, or web site content maintenance services. Here
at Lionsites we offer full service web hosting however we maintain
regular business hours plus weekends. Our websites have a 99.99%
uptime.

What are the numbers listed under "space" and "transfer"?

Space is the amount of "stuff" you can put on your web
site. Available space is usually listed in megabytes (MB, millions
of bytes). Single letter takes up one byte. HTML files are usually
rather small (this file is about 25,000 bytes) but pictures and
programs can get quite big. Your scripts, emails and stats will
also take up space on your host.
Transfer is the amount of "stuff" that visitors to your
site can download before you reach your monthly limit. Each time
a person views a webpage of yours, whqaqt he sees is downloaed to
his computer into his browser so he can view the page. Transfer
is usually listed in gigabytes (billions of bytes).

How do I pay for web hosting?

The methods of payment which we accept are credit cards such as
Visa and MasterCard and several others. The same amount will be
charged to your account every month on the same day.

How do I upload my site?

The main method of uploading files to your site's account is by
using FTP(file transfer protocol). When you sign up with us, you
will get an FTP account that lets you access files in your account
(usually ftp.yoursitename.com, your main account name and password).
Then you can use a built-in Windows or Internet Explorer FTP client,
or some other software that supports FTP such as CuteFTP, WS_FTP,
or Total Commander, to transfer files from your hard drive to your
account. It might sounds complicated at first but it's really very
easy. We will help you in case you need more assistance. We use
the program WS-FTP by Ipswitch.

What is uptime?

Uptime is the percentage of time that a web site is working. For
example, if some host has an uptime average of 99.86%, this means
that your site will be down for a total about 1 hour each month.
Lionsites Web Hosting averages currently a 99.99% uptime.

Can I use Java applets, JavaScript, and Flash pages on my site?

How to choose a web hosting plan or company

Should I use a Unix (Linux, SunOS, BSD, etc.) or Windows NT (Windows
2000) based server?

You may notice that Linux-based operating systems and Apache Web
servers are most common among web hosting companies. This is due
to Apache's many shared-hosting features, a good track record of
stability and performance, and because Linux and Apache are free.
We currently only host our sites on Linux. You will find this supports
many programming languages and the free online database MySQL. We
also support all Frontpage extensions.

How much data transfer will I need?

You can figure out how much data transfer you will require by estimating
your average page size (including graphics!) and multiplying it
by the number of page views you expect to have in a month. For example:
with an average page size of 50 KB, and around 1000 page views per
day, you will transfer an average of 1 GB per month. In this case,
you should get a plan with 2 GB of data transfer limit per month,
so you don't have to worry about overstepping your account's limit,
which may cause extra per GB transfer charges. Lionsites will monitor
your bandwidth for you and adjust it if needed.

Can't I just get a DSL line or a cable modem and host the site
or my own computer?

Sure, you could do that, but it's not a good idea for several reasons.
First, a vast majority of ISPs won't let you legally use a residential
cable modem or a DSL line to host a public server. You would have
to get a more expensive business package. Second, ADSL and cable
lines usually have lower upstream bandwidth than downstream bandwidth,
so your site may appear to be sluggish under heavy traffic. Third,
DSL and cable lines have a much lower reliability than dedicated
T1 or better lines. Fourth, you wouldn't have the benefit of data
security, data backup, UPS power, or technical support that a host
can provide.

Do I need stats?

Yes, it's very good practice to monitor the amount of unique visitors
or sessions that your website receives on a daily, weekly or monthly
bases. The stats also tell you how long a visitor stays on your
web page and how many pages he visits. This will give you some clues
to how you might need to improve or modify your website. With Lionsites
web services you will receive several different programs in your
cpanel with which you can monitor your website. See
site stats for more info.

Can I run my own software on my site?

Our plans will allow running scripts in languages such as Perl
or PHP. We also allow you to run "cron" which enables
you to automatically execute programs or scripts at a specific time
and date. However to get a full control over all aspects of your
server, you will need a dedicated or co-located server instead of
a shared plan.

Do I need a unique IP address for my site?

Maybe but probably not. There are some advantages to having a unique
IP for your site. When you change servers, you can point your users
to a new IP, so they don't have to wait for the domain name change
to propagate. With a static IP, it can also be simpler to upload
and test your site before transferring the domain name to a new
server. Setting up SSL is also much simpler. You may also not want
to share your IP with some sites that could lead to your site being
banned by search engines or spam lists.

Do I need to use your host's search engine submission service?

No. Some search engine submission tools are better than others
and some big search engines don't like automated submission. You
should submit manually to major directories like Yahoo!, ODP, or
Looksmart, and you may also prefer to submit manually to major search
engines. View our article on search engines.

Should I simply choose a cheapest plan?

We wouldn't recommend choosing any plan below $5 per month if you
expect to get a reasonable level of technical support. Read our
customer testimonies to get an idea
of what type of service our customers are receiving.

Are there any extra costs involved in hosting a secure site?

No, you can use our shared security lisence which is just as good
as having your own. All you do is define the path to the secure
server which we will give you when you sign up with our service.
We also offer help with this if you are confused by this.

Are there any advantages to getting a domain name with Network
Solutions instead of a cheaper company?

No. We register all our domains with www.godaddy.com. it's only
$8.95/year or less, so why go anywhere else? Do save your user and
password when you sign up with them because later you will need
this to access your domain services.

I don't want my site to be down. Ever. What host should I use?

No host can provide 100% uptime. We monitor uptime and you could
use this data as a guide. But even the biggest and best multi-million
dollar sites go down from time to time due to various unforeseen
circumstances.

Can I reduce the amount of data transfer my site needs?

Usually yes. Try to optimize all the graphics on your site. Many
GIFs don't look noticeably worse with fewer colors. Don't duplicate
graphics files, let the browser cache them. Try to clean up your
HTML by using relative paths, short filenames, less extras, and
reducing the number of spaces and new lines. If your site is mainly
text-based, ask your host about using an HTTP compression module
like mod_gzip.